Hero by Heart

Chapter 17

Zelda woke feeling refreshed and energized. Today would be the day she would finally see the Divine Beast from the inside.
     The previous night, during dinner, she had discussed her plans with the Zora and they had agreed to give her anything she needed.
     The only little downpoint was that Link insisted on joining her, repeating multiple times how dangerous the road was and how she didn't know the way.
     He had a point of course, but still she had hoped he would stay back. She tried to forget he was there as much as she could, trying to forget him and how he made her feel.
     That proved to be very difficult when he kept following her. So she always responded to him reserved and kind, but only when he spoke to her. On other moments she could almost forget about him.
     That was why last night she had been halfway down the stairs of the Dam, on her way back to the Domain, before she had noticed he hadn't followed.
     For a minute Zelda had been worried, but she pushed that away. She wondered where he had gone, and if he was still with Sidon, who was also missing.
     At the same time she felt a little guilty for only realizing it so late. Was she a terrible person for not interacting with him? On the other hand, she really needed to get over her feelings for him, so she needed her distance. No one could blame her for that, right?
     Anyway, as she woke up she saw him quietly sleeping in his bed. He had returned late, when she had already been sleeping.
     Zelda climbed out of bed and got dressed, before getting a bite to eat in the adjoining area, where a cooking pot was positioned over a little fire.
     It didn't take long for Link to show up behind her, sitting down to eat without a word. He did smile at her in greeting, which she responded.
      After finishing their meal, they quickly gathered their stuff, not wasting any time before heading to Vah Ruta. It was quite a climb, so they needed every minute.
It was another beautiful day, Zelda thought, as they walked across the Great Zora Bridge. The sun was shining and the temperature was pleasant, with a soft breeze to cool them on their hike. A few little clouds drifted across the blue skies, occasionally presenting them with some shade.
In the beginning they quickly gained distance, as they followed the path leading up Ruto Mountain. It wound around the peaks and led down again on the other side.
Not too long after the path started descending, they reached an almost invisible opening in the rocks on their left. It was just a small peak through, where any other person would just walk past.
Link, however, stopped there and turned towards the small passage with the steep slope behind it.
     'This is where we leave the path,' he said while hoisting up his gear. 'It will get a lot harder from here on, so be prepared.'
     He led the way through the opening and down the rocky wall, carefully placing his feet and even using his hands a few times.
     When he was down on more even ground, he looked up at Zelda and gestured her to come down.
     She set her jaw in determination and carefully made the first few steps. With some instructions of Link she made it without any difficulty.
From here it was a little easier, since it stayed pretty level. It was narrow as they walked along the mountainside on a small ledge, but they then stepped onto a plateau covered with grass.
There were a few pine trees there and it looked really peaceful, a place where no living soul ever ventured.
Before Zelda knew it, they had crossed over the plateau and stood on rocky ground again. Link stopped and looked at her as if he tried to determine what she would say.
'There is no easy slope leading up this mountain, so we have to climb. If you feel up for it, we can try to use my glider to make a shortcut.' He frowned at her. 'I have to admit that I never tried it together with someone else, so it's a risk.'
Link wiped his hands on his breeches and secured his bags on his back, as he glanced over his shoulder at her. 'It's entirely up to you, Zelda.'
     She looked up at the steep cliffside rising up above them, thoughtfully nodding. It would be a tremendous challenge to climb up the whole way, bringing its own risks. She wasn't even sure if her body could handle such a physical exercise.
     The thought of clinging onto Link as they flew into the air wasn't the most appealing either, but it would be a lot shorter.
So she nodded and stepped forward, coming closer to him. Her heart was already hammering in her chest, both from his presence and the thought of flying next to a mountainside.
Link pulled out his paraglider and checked her gear just to be sure nothing would be lost. He then grabbed the handles and told her to hang onto him. Tightly.
She stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, leaning her chin in the dent between his arm and neck.
As they bent down and Link concentrated on Rivali's Gale, she could feel the tension in her body rising, her heartbeat increasing further and her breathing growing shallow.
Through their clothes she could feel Links heartbeat against her chest, going steady and strong. It soothed her and she allowed herself to get lost in the feeling of his body against her, just for a second.
Then they were suddenly flying, making her yelp in alarm. She tightly wrapped her legs around Links and held onto him for dear life, as the rocks beneath her grew smaller and smaller.
The speed at which the mountain flew by her was astounding, almost making it impossible to follow with her eyes.
Within seconds they were nearing the top of the peak, but their speed quickly decreased. Link steered them forward, making the wall come at them with high speed.
Zelda closed her eyes, afraid of crashing into the pointy rocks, but Link told her to retract her legs with his calm, soothing voice.
She did as he said and felt a small thud as his feet touched the ground, making a few steps before stopping completely.
When she was certain they were on solid ground again she quickly released him and stepped back, making sure to stay on the narrow ledge.
It was still some way to go to the top, but they had made incredible progress. She was sure she would be able to make this little climb.
Link smiled at her as he folded his glider, his eyes sparkling in the sunlight. 'Ready for the last climb?' He asked.
     Zelda nodded, a wavering smile on her lips. 'Let's go,' she said, picturing the things she would discover up there.
For a while it was quiet, as Link led the way over the steep rocks, occasionally pointing out where she could place her hands or feet.
Zelda felt the sweat drip down her back, as her arms trembled a bit from the amount of force she used.
She was terrified of falling, but had to trust on herself and Link. He would guide her to safety.
She let out a grunt as she scraped her knee over the sharp rocks, but did not allow herself to feel it. She was almost there.
As Link reached the top he hoisted himself up the ground and lay flat on his stomach, extending his hand for her to grab.
Zelda took hold of it and felt how he pulled her the last part, barely a challenge for his incredibly strong muscles.
They now finally stood on top of the peak, looking up at the Divine Beast. She brushed her hands together to get the dirt off and carefully walked forward, her mind full of awe.
The long and tiring climb was already disappearing from her mind as she took in the elephant-shaped creation, its trunk pointing up at the sky.
     Zelda slowly approached the beast, but when she headed towards the entrance Link stopped her.
     'Let me check it out first. You never know what might be inside now. Will you wait here?' He looked at her pleadingly.
     Zelda nodded, even though her hands were aching to get started. She knew Link wouldn't let her wait if he didn't think it was necessary.
     She watched him disappear into the darkness of the beast and sat down to wait for him.
     It was deadly silent up here on the mountain, the only sound being the wind blowing around her and the occasional screeching of birds.
Only a few minutes had passed before Link emerged from the darkness. He looked a little heated, as if he had been running.
'All clear,' he grinned at her.
Excitement once again radiating through her body she got up and quickly walked towards him, shooting him a beaming smile.
Together they walked into the gigantic beast, as Zelda strongly hoped to find something of worth in there.

She was standing at the Main Terminal, the Sheikah Slate in hand and a frown on her face. There was something she was missing, but she couldn't quite place it.
     Link had accompanied her for about an hour as they roamed through the halls of the beast, but she had decided that this was where she should be, so he left her to her work.
     She did not know exactly where he was, but it was deadly quiet inside and he had been gone for a long time. At least he would not have left her alone here, of that she was certain.
Just as she was about to walk around the terminal in hopes of finding a clue there, Link showed up behind her.
'Are you ready to finish up here? It's getting late and I figured you should really eat something.' He asked, an apologetic smile on his lips.
Zelda looked longingly back at the pedestal once, before nodding and following him outside.
The sky had turned dark, the sun already set behind the mountains. In front of her was a small camp laid out in the middle of the rocky ground.
Link had made a little fire of the wood he had in his pack and used that to cook a simple but nutritious meal. There was even a little tent set up, of some cloth and poles.
It was simple and very minimalistic, but it warmed Zelda's heart to see the effort he had put in.
     As they sat down to eat, Zelda was lost in thought, looking out over the beautiful yet dark landscape.
     The evening slowly drew on, neither of them speaking. The silence lasted so long that Zelda almost started to forget Link was there, until he suddenly started talking.
     'So have you found anything in there?'
     Zelda looked at him with big eyes, a little shocked at the sudden question. He must know that she hadn't, for she would have been jumping in her excitement.
     Still, she thought it was kind of him to ask, trying to start a conversation. He hadn't done that in a long time. So, deciding she would treat him kindly, she slowly shook her head. 'I haven't. Yet. I am certain there must be something in there, I just don't know exactly what to look for, or where to look.'
     Link thoughtfully nodded a few times, stroking over his chin. 'Maybe I can help. If you tell me more about it, I could tell you if I have seen anything of interest during my time in there.'
     Zelda nodded. It was kind of him to offer. She still had trouble believing that he had ventured inside of that thing all alone, not knowing what to expect. He had to figure out that maze of a structure and fight the Waterblight to top it off. How could he be so brave and strong?
     As she realised she was getting lost in thought again, she made herself snap out of it, blinking a few times before looking at him.
     'Well, you remember that night at the Tech Lab right? When Purah discovered that crucial piece of information?'
     Link nodded.
     'She had drawn connections between all Sheikah creations, linking them together. When I looked at it for a while, it started to look like a map.' She looked up at Link to see if he still followed and saw him nodding along.
     'Purahs theory is that its a map of a hidden underground complex, connecting the Shrines and Towers and even the Divine Beasts.'
     Her enthusiasm led her to spike up, as she waved around and smiled widely, barely remembering to feel weird around Link.
     'If that is true, it means that there is a whole unexplored world right below us! All we need to do is find an entrance.' She sighed. 'If only it were that simple. I believe there must be clues in the Divine Beasts, since they are the only creations left. Maybe they each hide a piece of a map or something, showing the entrance.' Zelda looked at Link desperately. 'I wish I knew what it looks like exactly.'
Link quietly nodded, lost in thought. He then smiled at her reassuringly. 'I will help you look tomorrow. I have a few ideas of where we can check.' He raised his hands and quickly added: 'Only if you want to of course.'
Zelda nodded, long happy to possibly have a break in her research.
'Zelda?' Link them softly asked, almost inaudible. His voice was completely different from a few moments before, making the little hairs on Zelda's neck stand up.
She looked at him with raised eyebrows, waiting for him to continue. It took him a while, as he seemingly struggled to find the right words.
'There is something I have been meaning to tell you,' was what he finally said.
At once there were a thousand different thoughts running through her head, as Zelda imagined the worst possible scenario's. He sounded so serious and solemn. What could possibly cause him to change his attitude so much?
He seemed nervous, shuffling around and fumbling with his hands, not meeting her eyes.
Zelda felt her breath hitch and her heartbeat quicken, as her nerves took over. It took him so long to get the words out. If only he would just tell her already.
She looked at him and saw the slight blush on his cheeks and the nervous frown on his face. He looked so vulnerable. It only increased her stress to see him like this. How bad was this going to be?